Say the word “shark” and most people think of mindless monsters, cruising the waters looking for unsuspecting prey. You certainly don’t think of them as mothers. And while they aren’t the nurturing moms we humans are, they are more like us than we thought! And have been for millions of years… recently a megladon “nursery school” was even found.
Indeed, many shark species give live birth, just like humans – and go to extraordinary lengths to give their babies a fighting chance. This month, in honor of Mother’s Day + Mother Ocean Day, we thought we’d feature the porbeagle shark. Get to know this extraordinary momma shark!
At a glance:
Size: Up to 12 feet l 600 lbs!
Habitat: Cold water on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the South Atlantic and South Pacific ocean
Diet: Small fish, small sharks, and squid
Reproduction: a placental viviparity oophagy in which the embryos are initially nourished from a tiny yolk sac (just like a chicken), but later the embryos ingest eggs that mom releases inside her uterus for their nutrition (clearly a very unique reproductive mode)
IUCN listing: Vulnerable; Critically Endangered in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean & Mediterranean Sea
Protection: None
Bet you didn’t know…
1. Their weird name is thought to originate from their porpoise-shaped bodies and their beagle-like hunting abilities!
2. These mommy sharks gave birth in super deep water (3500 ft) to protect their young.
3. They swallow their food whole and are one of the coldest tolerant pelagic shark species in the world. They are also one of the few sharks that can thermoregulate – increasing their body temp 7-10 degrees above the water temp.
4. You’d be hard pressed to get into the water with them. They’re super elusive and found in Newfoundland Grand Banks off Canada, New England, Spain, & Scotland
Science in the Spotlight:
So, what makes these sharks great moms? Not only do they nourish their growing babies like human mothers, but James Sulikowski’s research suggests they brave the cold harsh weather of New England in order to give birth in a pristine marine sanctuary called Stellwagon Bank traveling great distances to get there. By using fin-mounted and pop off sat tags they followed 4 sharks for 4 months. They even took a peek inside, using a portable ultrasound to look inside each female shark to see if they were pregnant. Oh hey baby shark!